Sudden fame (or money) anywhere can mess people up, especially young people. Athletes, movie stars, musicians, hotshot executives in various industries. Some people can deal with it and some cannot. Some become self destructive, for a million and one reasons, both internal and external.

Obviously, college sports has its flaws, but Maurice Clarett was probably going to end up badly because of something inside Maurice Clarett. That likely would have happened if he never even picked up a football.

Clearly it is a case by case thing but the bottom line is we place way too high a value on gifted athletes to the point of inflicting physiological damage in many cases. We all find flavor clowns (love that phrase) distastfull but we have collectively created them.

if TO were a bag boy he most likely would not speak of himself in the third person.

it's impossible to say is Clarett would have crashed and burned had he not had a gift to lug a football.